


Velónes kai Melanioú (Needles and Ink)

by IrreverentFangirl



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Gender Dysphoria, Misgendering, Name Changes, Needles, Piercings, Social Theories, Tattoos, Trans Female Character, trans percy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-25
Updated: 2015-10-25
Packaged: 2018-04-28 03:43:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5076475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IrreverentFangirl/pseuds/IrreverentFangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Percy was sixteen when he got his first piercing. </p><p>Andi was twenty-five when she got her last.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Velónes kai Melanioú (Needles and Ink)

**Author's Note:**

> This story will have ten chapters, a chapter for each year that Percy/Andi gets a tattoo. Throughout the story, Percy realizes she is trans, but that takes a while and the pronouns are gonna be a bit off for awhile. They will change as Percy realizes she is really Andi and accepts that part of herself. 
> 
> This story is unbeta'd and if anyone could jump up and help with that, that'd be fantastic.

Percy Jackson was sixteen when he got his first tattoo.

It had started with him talking to Thalia one day; she had been sprawled across his couch, her head set in his lap and her combat boot-clad feet resting on the arm of the couch.

"I can't believe Lady Artemis actually let you visit me," he said. "I mean, I'm a guy."

She snorted at him, her eyes opening. "Fuck off, Kelp Head, my lady trusts me. She knows I'm aro and ace, so she's not worried we'll fuck or start dating, and she actually likes you for some reason. I personally think it's because you've always seemed far more respectful of the goddesses than the gods. She thinks you're one of the few guys out there who's actually okay."

Percy's eyebrows furrowed and he slowly said, "Uh, what's aro and ace?"

Thalia rolled her eyes as she stretched out her back, the vertebrae popping. "Sometimes I forget how conscientious Anna is, she wouldn't have outed me without my express permission, forgetting how important you are to me," she said, blushing lightly as though she hadn't meant to say the last few words.

Percy felt his face warm too, other than Annabeth, Grover, and Nico, Thalia was his best friend and knowing she felt the same way meant the word to him. Even though he wasn't sure quite what she meant when she said Annabeth was conscientious; he'd ask him mom what it meant later. He shook his head, getting his thoughts back on track. "So what do those words mean?"

She sat up and ran a hand through her undercut, her stormy, dark-rimmed eyes meeting Percy's with surprising sobriety, no snark in sight. "You know about different sexual orientations, right?"

His eyebrows furrowed as he nodded. "Yeah, like gay and straight?"

She groaned and made herself more comfortable, crossing her legs and wrapping her slender hands around her biceps. "Ok, Perce, that's just wrong. Yes, gay and straight are orientations, but they aren't the only orientations. You can also be bi, pan, ace, and countless other orientations. I'm not going to go into a huge rant but I'll give you a quick explanation.

Bi, or bisexual, is being attracted to your own gender and others. Being pansexual is being attracted to all of the genders—yes, Perce, there are more than two genders. Finally, asexuality which is shortened down to ace is not feeling sexual attraction. Being aro, or aromantic is not feeling romantic attraction."

Percy had no doubt that his face was a giant question mark. "Uh, so you don't think people are hot or sexy or beautiful at all?"

She grinned at him and nodded. "Kind of. I often think people are attractive; you and Anna are particularly gorgeous, but that's aesthetic attraction and not the same as romantic or sexual attraction. It just means I know you look good."

She shrugged and lifted up her shirt so he could see her hip, where there was a tattoo of a pair of playing cards, both aces but one was purple, black, and gray while the other was green, black, and gray. "This is my way of showing my pride," she said. "I'm proud of my sexual and romantic orientations and want to show it."

Percy's jaw had dropped when he first saw her tat. "Holy fuck, Thals, you got a tattoo? How? You look sixteen!"

She winked at him and wiggled her right index finger. "Ah, but I'm not. My ID card says I'm twenty-one, little cousin."

He swallowed hard and leaned against the back of his couch, allowing his head to fall back. "I've been wanting a tattoo since I was twelve," he admitted.

"What do you want?" she asked.

He looked at her and yanked his shirt up, not looking down as he pointed at his upper stomach, near his chest. "I want my family name here," he said. "My mom has done so much for me but I don't want only her name, I want to show respect for my whole family. That's what mom would want."

Thalia smiled at him, her lip ring glinting as it moved. "Aunt Sally would love it, especially after you turn eighteen."

He smiles a barely there smile. "Yeah," he whispered. "I know."

Her grin transformed into a smirk. "Let's get it now," she said. "I can pretend to be your legal guardian, Clio Matthews. You can be my nephew, Dylann, who just turned eighteen. My tattoo artist is fucking brilliant and fantastic with script...she’ll be perfect. You'll love Al, I promise."

Percy glanced down at himself. "Do you really think I can pass as eighteen?" he asked, his tone unsure.

 

Thalia snorted, disbelief in her eyes. "Sweetheart, your musculature makes you look at least nineteen. Hero training has done the world for you."

Percy flushed a dark red, his olive skin not hiding it all. He ducked his head down and shaggy blue-black hair fell to cover his angular face. "Don't say shit like that, Thals," he pleaded.

Thalia rolled her eyes and ran a hand down her bare leg, smoothing tights over the pale, freckled length. "Oh, man-up, Kelp Head!" she said, once again not noticing her cousin's grimace. "You need to learn to accept compliments," she added. "Al, Hana, and Dave are fucking attentive as shit and love to shower compliments on people they perceive as having too little self-esteem and that describes you to a tee, little brother."

He sent her a glare before pausing, tilting his head. “How the hell do you know my middle name?” Her only response was a mischievous smirk.

#

“Dy, this is my favorite tattoo artist and person in the entire world, Alia. Al, my love, this is Dylann, my bratty nephew and recent adult. He wants his first tattoo.”

In front of Percy stood a beautiful black woman. She was tall with crimson-dyed locs, two full sleeves, and at least five piercings on her face alone. “I’m gonna need to see an ID, kid,” she said, her voice husky. Percy blinked and swallowed hard, glancing at his cousin. She sent him a reassuring nod so he tugged his wallet out of his pocket and slid his ID out of its slip.

He saw Thalia stretch her arms out, subtly snapping as she did so. "See, Al?" she said. "Dylann Matthews, eighteen years old."

Alia snorted at her. "I trusted you, Clee, it's just store policy. You know how it works "

Thalia smirked at Alia. “Sure, Al.”

She rolled her eyes before turning back to Percy. "So what do you want kid?"

Percy ducked his head. "I want the name 'Jackson' in cursive right below my chest."

"Are you getting your boyfriend's name done?" Alia asked.

Percy's head shot up. "What? No! It's my mom's maiden name — I want to honor my family!" he exclaimed.

A smile broke out upon her face. "Nice," she said. "I can do that."

She turned back to Thalia for a second. "What about you, Clee?" Thalia grinned at her, a wolfish baring of her teeth.

"I want an industrial," she said.

Alia rolled her eyes. "I'll get Hana," she said, walking away. She came back a moment later, a pretty woman with short white hair accompanying her.

"Clee wants an industrial," Alia told Hana.

Hana's eyes widened and she grinned, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "I love giving industrials!" she said. "Come on, Clio," she hurried off, Thalia following her.

Alia turned to Percy. "You're with me, kid," she said.

#

Percy sat on the chair as Alia prepared to give him his tattoo, reclining and closing his eyes.

“You gotta problem with needles, kid?”

Percy shook his head. “Nah,” he said, opening his eyes. “Don’t have a problem with pain either.”

Alia nodded. “That’s good. Take your shirt off.” Percy obeyed instantly, tugging his shirt off and revealing his tanned and muscled torso. Alia arched an eyebrow at the abundance of scar tissue criss-crossing his abdomen, but didn’t say anything as she sat down on the stool next to his chair.

“I hope you’re ready for this,” she said.

Percy swallowed hard. “I am,” he said as he leaned back, forcing himself to relax his tense muscles.

 

Alia smiled at him and the buzzing started. “Good,” she said as she pressed the needle against his pectoral. Percy didn’t even register the pain of it stabbing into his skin.

#

Forty minutes later, Percy had his tattoo and Alia had given him a very detailed description of how he’d have to take care of it and exactly what he would have to do. Thalia was waiting for him with a smirk when he was done.

“So, how’d your first tat go, Dy?” she asked as she paid Alia for her piercing and Percy’s tattoo.

They had left the store after Percy showered the tattoo artist with praise when Percy finally answered.

“I’m gonna want more,” he said.

  
Thalia smirked. “Yeah,” she said. “I’d imagine so.” 


End file.
